Higher fuel prices, rising rental costs and increased electricity prices were the key drivers of Australia’s inflation rate rising 1.2% in the September quarter, which is unsurprising as these drivers have remained the sticky points in taming inflation. This week, we explore how a 25-basis points rate hike may impact investment portfolios, the cost-of-living, and Aussie companies.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:

key drivers of Australia’s inflation rate,

economists expecting a rate hike,

the Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday,

what the rate hike will mean for investors and businesses

quarterly trading updates and results,

the best performing stocks in the ASX200,

the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients, and